Snow Warning
by Neonz
Summary: Frost Cavern was aptly named, and few pokemon, let alone people, would ever dare to venture near it in the midst of a blizzard. Exceptions were only made when the weather decided to take its victims by surprise. Serena was one such victim. /Kalosshipping
1. Prologue

**Because X and Y are awesome games (and because I wanted to try writing something new), here's an alternate take on how the events at Frost Cavern unfolded. Based on the in-game universe of X and Y (Serena as the MC and Calem as the rival).**

**Uploaded a bit early because the date was really cool and I wanted it to be on my story. :3 All other chapters will be longer than this little prologue (there should be three or four, not counting this one). I'm hoping Kalosshipping is the correct term for Calem x Serena, because this is what this is.**

…

The wind howled as globs of snow whipped through the rapidly darkening sky. Frost Cavern was aptly named, and few pokemon, let alone people, would ever dare to venture near it when it was in this foul of a mood. Exceptions were only made when the weather decided to take its victims by surprise.

Serena was one such victim.

The young girl's breaths came in quick gasps as she stumbled blindly through the blizzard. Her long, honey-brown hair was beginning to freeze together, and her violent shivers only served to impede her movement. Her arms wrapped around her soaked body, trying desperately to retain what little heat she had left. Serena tried to turn back to the mouth of the cave to see how much progress she'd made back to civilization, and even through the bulleting snow could see that she'd barely made it ten steps. She forced her muscles to take another: eleven steps down on a twenty minute walk.

She knew she wouldn't make it. A wave of dizziness hit her as she realized how much danger she was in, and she collapsed in a heap onto the wet ground. Her arm trembled as she tried to make her numb fingers wrap around the clasp to her pink purse, and she gritted her teeth in concentration. Her one remaining pokemon was all that lay between her and a frosty death.

After several seconds of fumbling, Serena managed to open her bag. The contents spilled onto the ground from her shaky grasp, including four precious pokeballs.

"J-J-Jolteon!" Serena croaked, reaching desperately toward the quick ball that housed the creature. "J-Jolteon, p-p-plea…"

There was a flash of light, and the spiky yellow dog appeared. She squinted against the wind and shook herself lightly, but then noticed the state of her trainer. _"Jolt!"_ she called, crouching down low to Serena with worried eyes. _"Jolt! Jolt!"_

"Run…" Serena said, her cracking tone barely above a whisper. "Jolteon, run a-a-and… a-and…"

"_Jolt! Jolteon!"_

"G-g-ge… help…"

There was a loud crack of electricity as the jolteon fired a terrified thunderbolt to the sky. Serena saw the flash right before her eyes fell shut.


	2. Chapter 1

_-Two Hours Prior-_

Serena beamed as she hopped off of her bike and took her first look at Dendemille Town. The terrain in the area was uneven, but the residents had compensated by building a beautiful series of stone staircases that hugged around the entire northern half. Both parts of the town were adorned with busy people and their homes, with the lower, flatter half also including farm land and the upper including a massive windmill. To top everything off, a peaceful river had wrapped itself through the town.

"Wow!" Serena exclaimed as she took in the sights. "It's gorgeous!" Well worth the half-day trek from Laverre City, she felt. Granted, the route that connected the two municipalities was so full of people and new pokemon and hidden locations that it was a fantastic adventure on its own. It was a bit cold, especially given that she came from the south and wasn't used to it, but at the same time it had been a great chance to wear her purple sweater, jeans, and black boots. The brown hat atop her head completed the warmer ensemble nicely in her opinion. Still, she knew that she had to make up for lost time… she wouldn't be able to stay in the town for long if she hoped to catch up with Calem.

Her first trip was to the Pokemon Center, where she handed her four doubtlessly exhausted pokemon over to the nurse. While she waited for them to be healed, she opened her map and traced the route between Dendemille Town and Anistar City. She frowned; it looked like it was a long ways off…

"Excuse me," Serena said to a girl with long, dark hair. She appeared to be a hex maniac, and she looked over with a small frown. "Would you be able to tell me how long it would take to get from here to Anistar City?"

"Anistar…" The girl looked Serena up and down. "Depends on the mode of travel, I guess."

"By bike?"

The hex maniac scoffed. "You'll never get there by bike this time of year. The snow piles itself really high on Route 17."

Serena frowned. "Then how do you get to Anistar City?"

"By mamoswine. There aren't any other rideable pokemon that can make it through." The dark-haired girl grinned at Serena's surprised expression. "If you don't have your own, there's a man on Route 17 who lends out his mamoswine to travellers for free."

Serena furrowed her brow. "Is it anything like rhyhorn riding?"

"I guess so. Why, you have experience in rhyhorn riding?"

Serena only chuckled. "You could say that."

"Then you'll be fine."

Serena grinned. "Thank you!" She turned her attention back to the nurse's counter, where her newly restored pokemon sat in a pokeball tray.

"Here are your pokemon, miss!" The nurse smile politely and offered her the tray.

Serena picked them up and placed them into their designated spot in her pink purse. "Thank you very much! I'll need these guys to be at their best if I want to make it to Anistar City by tonight."

The nurse frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll be able to make the trip today."

"What?" Serena asked. "How come? I need to get there by tomorrow!"

The nurse sighed. "Something in Frost Cavern has been bothering the mamoswine, so they aren't offering rides at the moment." Serena looked crestfallen, and the nurse tipped her head curiously. "If I may ask, why is it so important for you to get to Anistar so quickly?"

Serena shook her head. "I-it's not that important, I guess…" Her mind drifted to the Holo-Cast message she had received the day prior…

_Calem's smiles were rare, but contagious. That was the first thing Serena noticed about the Holo-Cast, as she automatically grinned back at Calem's projected hologram. "Hey Seri!" Calem said. Her smile broadened at the use of the nickname. "I know we just saw each other in Laverre City, but knowing you you're probably miles ahead of all of us…" Calem sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Serena giggled to herself, as unbeknownst to her friends, she was actually within the busy streets of Lumiose. "Anyways, all of us should be in Anistar City in two days. It's been a while since we've been together… Shauna won't stop reminding me…" he groaned. "So, whenever you get to Anistar, wait up for us! I'm almost to Dendemille Town now." He flashed another smile. Serena's heart fluttered as her mouth imitated it. "I challenge you to a rematch once I get there. I… I can't wait to see you again, Seri. I'll see you soon!"_

…Serena had known that doubling back to Lumiose City for lighthearted shopping would be a bad idea. Even after frantically dropping everything she was doing after receiving the Holo-Cast and hurrying back to Laverre and then to Dendemille, she had still fallen short of making it.

"Oh, well whatever the reason, I'm sorry," the nurse continued sympathetically. "There's been a lot of travellers stuck over the last few days, and Dendemille doesn't have a hotel, but I think we can still fit you in for accommodations here at the Pokemon Center tonight - "

"Wait! A few days?!"

The nurse hesitated, then nodded. "That's right. The mamoswine's been acting odd for a few days now."

Serena's heart leapt in excitement. Calem was probably still here! "That would be great! Thank you very much!"

The nurse smiled. "Come back here in an hour or so and we'll have a room ready for you!"

"Okay! I will!" Serena waved cheerfully and exited the Pokemon Center. Dendemille was by no means a small town, and Serena knew it was possible for her friends to be just about anywhere…

"Hey, Seri!"

Serena jumped a little as she turned and noticed Trevor waving at her. She walked over to the short orange-haired boy and smiled. "Oh, hi Trevor! I was just looking for everybody!"

Trevor nodded. "Calem said you were probably already at Anistar City by now. Um, what are you doing back here?"

Serena blushed and looked away. "I got, uh, held up in Lumiose City…"

"Lumiose City? How did you end up in Lumiose City?"

"…Not important…"

"Oh… okay." Trevor looked around. "Shauna and Tierno are around here somewhere. I think Calem went to train on Route 15."

"Guess I missed him…" Serena muttered, then shook her head. "What about you? Where are you off to by yourself?"

"I was going to Frost Cavern. Well, not to the actual cave, but just the surrounding area. It would be fascinating to see some of the new pokemon up there!" Trevor gave a small smile. "Hey, Serena, do you want to come with me? I promise I won't take long. Then we can meet the others for supper! We made plans to meet in an hour."

Serena contemplated the offer. On one hand, she really wanted to see Calem and challenge him to the promised rematch, but on the other, she was also curious about Frost Cavern, and it wouldn't be nice to let Trevor go on his own… "Alright, I'll go with you!" Serena decided. "Speaking of new pokemon, a few of mine evolved…" She trailed off with a grin, knowing that this would peak his interest.

"Really?" Trevor smiled in excitement. "Do you think you could show them to me? I'd love the opportunity to document them in my pokedex."

Serena nodded and rummaged into her bag for the four balls. Three of them were standard pokeballs, and the last was a quick ball. She tossed all four into the air, and four shapes materialized on the ground.

"Wow!" Trevor was quick to look over Serena's very first pokemon, who was newly evolved into a delphox. "I've never seen a delphox before! She looks incredible!"

Delphox made a pleased noise and stuck her nose proudly in the air.

"And you evolved your eevee! This is my first time seeing a jolteon, too…"

"_Jolt! Jolt!" _Jolteon barked as Trevor hastily incorporated the information into his pokedex.

"And I see your skiddo evolved; nice gogoat, very nice…"

Gogoat bleated his approval and Serena proudly rubbed his head.

"Anddd…" Trevor looked rather unimpressed. "Well, your wartortle is still a wartortle, I guess."

The last of Serena's pokemon crossed his arms and gave an angry huff. Serena giggled and patted him as well. "He's close to evolving, though. A few more days of training should be all it'll take."

"I hope I'll get to see him as a blastoise…" Trevor shook his head. "Anyways, we should get going before the sun goes down." Serena nodded and recalled her four pokemon back into their balls. The two headed up the stone steps, and onto the path beyond the town.

…

As it turned out, the area surrounding Frost Cavern did not have any wild pokemon living in it. Serena sighed and followed Trevor, who was not deterred by the set-back and was still eager to look around the area. It was snowing, and the white fluff was coating the ground, the trees, and any unfortunate passers-by in its wet coldness. Serena stared around the area, entranced. She had seen snow once before, as a child, but it had been many years since then. She shivered lightly, and wished that she owned a jacket. Perhaps if she'd been able to finish her shopping trip in Lumiose…

"Hey, Seri! Look at that!" Serena walked over to Trevor, who was pointing at something in the distance. "It's a mamoswine!"

Serena followed his gesture and gasped. Indeed, on the other side of the river was a huge pokemon with intimidating tusks standing next to a man. She had never seen a mamoswine in real life, and both trainers rushed across the wooden bridge to record the creature on their pokedexes.

The man watched the two young trainers with a sad smile. "He certainly is an impressive pokemon, isn't he?" The mamoswine in question pawed at the ground and snorted his discontent. He was staring off into the distance.

"Yes, he is!" Trevor said excitedly. "Um, is this the same mamoswine that people ride on to cross over to Anistar City?"

"Usually, yes, but…" The man shook his head. "Something's gotten into him lately. He keeps wanting to go over to Frost Cavern." He reached over and gently patted the massive pokemon, who gave a low whine in response. "I wish we could check it out for ourselves, but mamoswine's my only pokemon, and he isn't much of a battler."

"Pokemon can be sensitive to unusual events. Maybe something's amiss in Frost Cavern?" Trevor suggested.

Serena nodded and looked at the mamoswine's trainer. "Do you think if somebody could check it out and fix whatever's wrong, we could get a ride across to Anistar City?"

The man nodded. "Absolutely! But I wouldn't expect kids like you to be able to do it."

Serena stepped forward with a determined grin. "I'll go right now." The other two gave her shocked looks.

"What?" Trevor said, his eyes wide. "Serena, it'll be dark soon. We can go tomorrow!"

"I want to help this pokemon as soon as possible!" Serena argued. "The poor thing looks so distraught…"

The man shook his head. "You are very kind, young lady, but you should listen to your friend. It's a twenty minute walk in both directions, and the sun will set in an hour."

"That only gives you twenty minutes in Frost Cavern!" Trevor pointed out.

Serena bit her lip. "I'll just go check it out! I'll get out before it gets dark. And besides, I won't go on foot…"

"You can't bike here, Seri: too icy."

Serena shook her head and pulled out a pokeball. "I have a better idea." She smiled and tossed the pokeball to the ground. Her gogoat popped out and bleated powerfully. "I'm going to ride Gogoat!"

As Serena mounted her pokemon, Trevor shook his head. "There's no stopping you, is there?"

Serena laughed. "I won't be long, I promise!"

"Alright…" Trevor gave an uneasy smile. "I'll wait here for you to come back, so be quick!"

Serena nodded and gripped onto the horns of Gogoat. The grass-type took off into the snowy landscape at a run. As they rushed toward the entrance to the cavern, Serena could practically feel the temperature dropping around her. Trainers along the path were walking back in the other direction, doubtlessly tired from their day of training in the frigid mountains.

By riding Gogoat, it had taken just over five minutes to reach the entrance to the cavern. Serena recalled Gogoat and confidently stepped into the cave.

Serena took a few moments to look around the area in awe. Every inch of it was coated in either snow, ice, or both, which gave her the impression that she was in a giant freezer. It certainly felt like that was where she was. She rubbed her hands together and watched as her breath materialized in steam.

"Hello?" she called hesitantly. The place looked like it was completely deserted… most of the trainers within it had likely already gone home for the night. Serena slowly took a few steps forward, when a shrill cry echoed around the cavern and a wild pokemon leapt in front of her. It looked a lot like a big walking ice cube.

"Whoa!" Serena hastily took out her pokedex, which registered the creature as a bergmite. It looked like a pure ice-type, so Serena dug into her bag and pulled out the appropriate pokeball. "Go, Delphox!"

The tall fire-type appeared and gave a determined cry. _"Delll!"_

"Okay Delphox, use flamethrower!"

"_Delll!" _Delphox waved her arm in the arm and produced a massive stream of fire that hit the opposing pokemon dead-on. The bergmite collapsed, and Serena took an easy victory.

"Alright! Great job, Delphox!" Serena grinned and recalled her pokemon. Getting through the cavern was starting to look like a piece of cake with type-advantage on her side.

Using Delphox's flamethrower, Serena continuously defeated the onslaught of bergmite and piloswine that were abundant in Frost Cavern. Even a horde of cubchoo was nothing to the fully-evolved fire-type. She ventured deeper and deeper into the cavern. There were many areas where the ice was too slick to do much except slide to the other side and hope for the best, and she was soon starting to feel the effects of the low temperature. She was shivering lightly and fighting off a runny nose, but tried to ignore it and continue.

As soon as she had cleared yet another stretch of ice, a piloswine jumped out at her. Serena once again summoned her delphox. "Okay, Delphox! Flamethrower!"

Delphox panted lightly and tried to summon the attack, but nothing was coming forth. She looked back at her trainer in confusion.

"Delphox? Use flamethrower!"

Delphox tried again to summon the move, but nothing happened. The opposing piloswine took the opportunity to deliver a powerful mud bomb, which hit Delphox head-on. She cried in pain as the super-effective attack took its toll.

"Must be out of pp…" Serena muttered. "Okay, try psywave!"

"_Del!" _The fire-type threw the psychic move at the piloswine, which made contact but wasn't enough for a one-hit knockout. The piloswine steadied itself, then tossed out another mud bomb. Delphox gave a weak cry and collapsed.

"No! Return!" Serena hastily recalled her pokemon. She thought for a few moments – piloswine was part ice type, but it was also part ground. With this in mind, she threw out another pokeball. "Finish it off, Gogoat!"

The grass-type bleated and gave a nod, but was cut off as the piloswine delivered a powerful ice shard attack. The increased-priority move hit before Gogoat could do anything, and he stumbled.

"Use seed bomb!" Serena quickly cried. Gogoat nodded and initiated the attack, which collided with another one of the wild piloswine's ice shard attacks. Both pokemon were sent reeling, and after a few seconds, both collapsed.

Serena recalled Gogoat into his pokeball and sighed. Half of her pokemon were already down after just one battle… She bit her lip and looked backward, contemplating giving up early and coming back later. Jolteon wouldn't even be able to hurt wild piloswine with her electric attacks, so that only left Wartortle. She contemplated her options for a few moments, then released Wartortle in front of her.

"Wartortle, what do you think? Should we go back for the night?" Serena asked. "I'll have to go on foot without Gogoat."

Wartortle shrugged and pointed up ahead. _"War! Wartortle, war!"_

"Huh?" Serena looked at where he was pointing, and saw a river. "You think whatever is bothering the mamoswine must be across the water?" She looked around and could see there were also paths to her left and right, as well as the one behind her. However, few trainers could utilize surf, which meant that it was more likely that she'd run into something interesting across the water. "I dunno, Wartortle. Can you even swim in there? It must be freezing."

"_Wartortle!" _The pokemon argued, then dove into the water and emerged with a confident smirk. _"War!"_

"Well, alright… but still, I don't know how far we can make it with only you and Jolteon! We've been in here a while as it is, and it's not nice to make Trevor wait like that."

Wartortle hopped out of the water and tugged on Serena's purse. The trainer hesitated, then curiously allowed him access to her bag. The pokemon rummaged inside it for a few moments, then pulled out an escape rope. _"War!"_

"Oh, right!" Serena laughed and picked up the item from Wartortle. "I forgot I had one of these! Getting back to the entrance will take no time at all!" She smiled, put the rope back into her bag, and pointed onward. "Alright, just a little further! Use surf!"

Wartortle was happy to oblige, and leapt into water which looked like it would certainly be frozen if it didn't have a slight current running through it. Serena curiously stuck a finger into the water, then rapidly pulled it back out as her thoughts were confirmed. "Be careful, okay? The last thing I'd want is to fall in…"

Wartortle rolled his eyes, so Serena carefully climbed onto his back. She let out a shaky sigh, which filled the air in front of her with white steam, and Wartortle swam onward.

For a little while, all was peaceful. Serena was starting to doubt that water pokemon could live in such a cold environment, and she shivered lightly as she began to agree with them.

An angry cry caught her attention, and a floatzel appeared in front of them. Serena gasped and clung tightly onto Wartortle. "Okay, just like we did earlier today, Wartortle! Use surf, and then use bite!"

"_War!" _The water behind them started to pile forcefully up under Wartortle's control, and both he and Serena were lifted into the air. The wave crashed onto the opposing floatzel, and Wartortle expertly landed himself on top of the opposing pokemon. He did not hesitate before sinking his teeth deep into the floatzel's neck.

This combination had been enough to take out every other pokemon they had encountered on their way to Dendemille Town, but this time their opponent retaliated. Wartortle was caught by surprise as the floatzel whirled around and delivered the start of a powerful double-hit.

Serena screamed and clung to Wartortle as they flew through the air. Her eyes widened as she saw the floatzel coming in from above for the follow-up hit, and released she only had one option: she let go.

Serena plunged into the icy water, which felt like hundreds of knives piercing every inch of her skin. By letting go early, she had managed to avoid being completely submerged, which proved to be a life-saving decision as she automatically gasped at the shocking low temperature and successfully inhaled oxygen instead of water.

Wartortle was thrown much deeper into the water, but quickly surfaced and swam hastily to his trainer. _"War! War!"_

Serena felt as though the cold water was starting to physically suffocate her, and her heart pounded as she tried desperately to take in more air. She knew how to swim, but her body was denying her arms and legs the ability to effectively propel herself to shore. Her muscles were literally aching for warmth. The floatzel sent out an aqua jet toward the two of them, which Wartortle quickly took in place of Serena.

"W-Wartortle!" Serena managed to cry out as she struggled to stay afloat. "Help!"

"_Waaar!" _To Serena's amazement, Wartortle started to summon two surf attacks. One went straight for the floatzel, and the other went straight for her.

The water propelled Serena back onto solid, albeit icy, ground, and she panted and spluttered as she tried to regain her bearings. She was now shivering violently, and she curled into a ball in a desperate attempt to warm herself.

"_Float!" _The floatzel had followed her onto land, but Wartortle was quick to leap forward with another bite attack. Serena blearily looked over and had to watch as Wartortle tried to take on the floatzel without his trainer's guidance.

"W-W-Wartort…" Serena broke off gasping for breath, and only succeeded in distracting her pokemon. Wartortle was flung across the battlefield and did not get up.

Serena shakily looked into the eyes of the floatzel, who stared at her for a few moments, but seemed to decide that she was no longer a threat and disappeared back into the water. Serena watched him go, and crawled over to Wartortle. He was out cold. Serena tried to open her bag - more difficult than it should have been as she was starting to lose feeling in her hands - and recalled him into his pokeball.

Suddenly, the question had shifted from if she _should _go back to if she _could _go back. She trembled violently as she tried to stand, but still managed to stay upright. The cold she felt was causing a terrible aching pain that spread across her entire body, with the exception of her hands and feet which she couldn't feel at all. She reached into her bag for the escape rope, and closed her eyes as her weakened hands grasped it as tightly as they could.

The rope disintegrated, and Serena opened her eyes to find that she had reappeared back at the entrance to Frost Cavern. She sighed in relief, but knew that this was only the beginning. The twenty minute walk back by herself was daunting to say the least. If only Gogoat hadn't fainted. She desperately wanted to curl up somewhere warm and fall asleep…

With the prospect of warmth driving her, she stepped outside of the cavern and gave a small cry as she was assaulted by a mixture of heavy winds and snow. She squinted onward; the sky had darkened considerably. Whether it was from her misjudging the time of day or the surprise blizzard that had seemingly come out of nowhere, Serena wasn't sure. Her breathing had turned quick and ragged, and she tried to shelter herself by dipping her head and closing her eyes as she bravely trudged forward.

She glanced back. Ten steps. One more. Eleven.

It was impossible. She collapsed, allowing her pained muscles an unplanned break. The ground was probably wet and cold from the snow, but she had lost her ability to tell.

If she didn't move, she would die.

She fumbled with her purse, and after several seconds of shaky struggling, all of the contents spilled onto the ground.

"J-J-Jolteon!" Serena croaked, reaching desperately toward the quick ball that housed her remaining pokemon. "J-Jolteon, p-p-plea…"

There was a flash of light, and the spiky yellow dog appeared. She squinted against the wind and shook herself lightly, but then noticed the state of her trainer. _"Jolt!"_ she called, crouching down low to Serena with worried eyes. _"Jolt! Jolt!"_

"Run…" Serena said, her cracking tone barely above a whisper. "Jolteon, run a-a-and… a-and…"

"_Jolt! Jolteon!"_

"G-g-ge… help…"

There was a loud crack of electricity as the jolteon fired a terrified thunderbolt to the sky. Serena saw the flash right before her eyes fell shut.

"_Jolteon! Jolteon!" _she cried, sending wave after wave of thundering electricity toward the heavy clouds. She put her face close to Serena's and gently nudged her. Serena opened her eyes. Encouraged, Jolteon continued to prod her trainer with her nose. Jolteon felt warm, but whether it be from the cold of the blizzard or fear, she was shaking a little bit.

Serena shifted, knowing that she needed to stand up, but was too weak to manage it. Her jolteon continued to encourage her with her nose, but it seemed like she was fighting a losing battle. "…g-go…" Serena muttered, shutting her eyes tightly again. "F-fas…"

"_Jolteon!" _Yet another thunderbolt reached the sky. Serena didn't understand what her pokemon was trying to do. Why wouldn't she go find help?! Jolteon whimpered and pushed herself against her, taking care not to poke her trainer with her spikes. _"Jolt! Jolt! Jolt!" _Serena's mind felt hazy… Jolteon's frantic barks seemed to be getting quieter…

"_Flare! Flareon!"_

…Now she must be hearing things.

"Serena! Oh Arceus… _Serena!"_

A pair of warm arms tried to tug her off of the ground. Her grey eyes shot open and struggled to focus on her savior. Blue jacket, jeans, black boots… concerned grey eyes that rivaled her own. "C…C-Calem…"


	3. Chapter 2

"What happened?" Calem asked. Serena noted that he seemed to be out of breath. The snow rushed past them, but she could do little more than give him an unfocused stare from the ground. "What's wrong? Are you injured? …Serena, say something, you're scaring me!"

"I-I… w-water… fell…" she trailed off, suddenly confused. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't figure out what to say. Her mind was too foggy. "So c-c-cold…"

"Okay… okay…" Calem sighed. "Don't talk for now. Let's stand up, okay? I'll help you."

Serena grit her teeth and leaned heavily against him as she resumed a standing position. He grunted and tried to guide her back into Frost Cavern. Serena was too weak to argue that he was going the wrong way.

The lack of wind and blowing snow was apparent as soon as they entered, and though it was an improvement, the temperature still had to be below freezing. Calem allowed Serena to sink against the cave wall, then he fell back onto the ground in front of her. Both of them were quiet for a few moments, the silence of the chamber interrupted by the sounds of their laboured breathing.

"Flareon," Calem finally said. "Go sit next to Serena to warm her up."

"_Flareon!" _The next thing Serena knew was sudden heat. It was almost too much. She pressed herself against the fluffy eeveelution regardless, her heart pounding as her body tried to adjust to the sudden change in temperature.

There was a flash of white light, and an absol appeared. "Absol, go back to town and get help!" Calem instructed. The absol nodded once and then bounded back into the roaring blizzard. Calem watched his pokemon leave, then looked back at Serena. "Absol's the reason I found you. They can sense natural disasters, and he kept trying to pull me toward Frost Cavern… I knew Trevor was going there, so I thought maybe something had happened to him. But then I met up with him, and he told me you'd been out here for a long time. I could see the blizzard that Absol had predicted starting…" he shook his head. "I didn't even think to prepare, I-I just called out Flareon to make a path through the snow with his fire and I ran. I didn't consider you could be in need of medical attention… I'm sorry I can't do more."

Serena shook her head, trying to communicate that she wasn't upset with him. She shivered and clung to Flareon, who sat patiently next to her. Jolteon had curled up on Flareon's other side, taking advantage of the heat.

Calem quietly watched her for a few moments. "Are you feeling any better? You look terrible…"

Despite her condition, Serena still managed to send her rival a glare. Calem got the hint after a few seconds of giving her a blank stare.

"Oh, uh, I-I mean… well, you do look pretty bad. You're really pale, and your lips are kind of blue. B-but…" He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Usually you're so happy and determined and full of life. It's just scary seeing you like this; that's all I meant."

Serena blinked at him, then smiled and looked away.

"There's some colour returning to your cheeks, I think."

Serena was sure her blush deepened if nothing else. "S-shut up…"

Calem furrowed his brow. "The first coherent thing you say to me is 'shut up'?"

Serena paused and sheepishly looked away. "Thank you, C-Calem. I… I dunno if I… w-would h-have made it…"

Calem rolled his eyes. "You were passed out on the ground. There's no way you would have made it back to Dendemille Town."

Serena hesitated, then shook her head. "…I m-meant… I-I could have… you know…" The wind whistled eerily as it flew by the cavern, allowing her sentence to be understood without being completed.

Calem's expression hardened, and he shook his head. "Why would you go to Frost Cavern by yourself at this time of the day anyways? You ought to have known that would be a bad idea. You aren't even wearing a jacket, or gloves…" Calem's eyes widened. "Serena, let me see your hands. I want to make sure they aren't frostbitten."

He stood and walked over, gently placing both of her hands into his own warm gloved ones. Serena blushed nervously and stared away.

"Does it hurt when I hold them like this?" Calem asked, carefully examining Serena's hands.

"Y-yeah, kinda…"

"That means you can feel them though, right?"

"…Kinda, y-yeah."

"I think it's just mild frostbite. You won't lose your fingers."

Serena's eyes widened considerably. "Th-that happens?!"

"Yes, but like I said, I don't think you were outside long enough, thank goodness." Calem pulled off his own gloves, and slipped them onto Serena's hands. "Take mine. You need them more than I do."

Serena hastily wrapped her arms back around Flareon. "Th-tha-nk you."

"You need to change out of that wet clothing, too…" He ran a hand anxiously through his dark hair. "Did you say you fell into water?" Serena nodded her response. "How long were you in there for?"

"I-I dunno, a-a minute or two."

"Jeez, Serena…" Calem was quiet for a few moments. "Maybe take your boots off too. Put your socks on top of Flareon so that they can dry."

Serena nodded and began following his advice. "Y-you seem t'know a lot…"

Calem raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Like…" Serena paused as she removed the first boot and began working on the second. "Y-y-you k-know what you're doing…"

"Oh." He shrugged. "Well, hypothermia treatment is pretty basic stuff, isn't it?"

"H-h-hypo… what?"

For the first time, Calem cracked a small smile. Serena stared at him for a few seconds, and then imitated it. "Serena, where did you move from when you came to Vaniville Town?"

"H-Hoenn." She finished removing her socks, and hastily stuck her frozen feet into Flareon's warm fur. "Sl-Slateport."

"Hoenn?" Calem asked, looking genuinely intrigued. "That's down south, right?"

Serena nodded. "M-Mom wanted t-to retire… somewhere quieter. Somewhere with culture. V-Vaniville."

"Well, that explains it."

"…Explains… what?"

Calem chuckled. "Why you were so inadequately prepared. It doesn't snow in Hoenn, or at least not in Slateport, right?"

Serena nodded. She was really beginning to miss going to the beach every day. "D-doesn't snow m-m-much in Vaniville… d-does it?"

"I grew up in Laverre City; it snows a lot there in the winter. My dad was the gym leader there for a while, and when he left, his younger sister took over. Valerie is my aunt. I guess my story's sort of the same as yours, though… they wanted to retire somewhere quiet. We moved when I was ten."

"Oh…" Serena shifted a bit, and Flareon followed her movement. "I didn't know."

"It's not a big deal."

"_Jolt!" _Jolteon barked her annoyance at Flareon moving away from her. Flareon snorted and gestured for her to move closer. Jolteon curled up next to him, shivering lightly.

Calem watched with a small frown. "Hey, Serena? Maybe you should recall your jolteon. Pokeballs provide shelter from the cold, unless they're housing an ice-type, of course."

Serena blinked, and looked at the ground around her. Fear suddenly gripped her. "I… I dunno where my bag is!" Her eyes widened. "My other pokemon!"

"_Jolt!" _Jolteon stood and lightly shook herself. _"Jolteon!" _she walked to the entrance of the cave, and stared pointedly out of it.

"Did you leave it outside?" Calem asked. Three pairs of eyes locked curiously on Serena.

Her bag… she vaguely remembered dropping it. She remembered all of the contents falling out, though at the time she had been indifferent. Images of her poor pokemon being buried alive in snow filled her mind, and her eyes widened considerably. "Oh… oh no!" She struggled to pull herself off of the ground, and once she had succeeded, she stumbled and collapsed back to the ground. Undeterred, she bit her lip and tried again.

"Serena!" Calem shook his head and stood. Serena paused, and looked at him in panic. "Calm down. I'll go and get them for you."

As he left, Flareon crawled back on top of her trembling frame. Serena rubbed the area between her eyes and groaned. How could she have been so careless as to forget about her own pokemon?!

"_Jolteon." _Jolteon had walked back over, and affectionately nuzzled her trainer. Serena knew that it was Jolteon's way of trying to comfort her.

"Thanks, Jolteon…"

Jolteon settled herself next to Flareon and Serena. The cave had gone quiet, with the exception of the howling winds outside. Serena was exhausted, and without Calem there to distract her, she found her eyelids slowly drooping shut…

"_Serena!" _

Serena blearily reopened her eyes at the sound of her name, but then closed them again.

"Serena! Serena, stay with me!"

Somebody was gripping her shoulders and shouting. She tried to focus her vision. "C-Cal…"

"Stay awake for me, okay Serena? Stay awake. I have your bag and your pokemon; they're safe."

"Ugh…" She shifted and wrapped her arms around her body. She was still shivering violently, but her eyes were fixated on Calem. "I-I - "

Calem sighed. "Okay, good. I know you're tired, but please don't fall asleep here."

Serena gave a tiny nod. Her breath was still coming in shaky gasps, despite the heat that Flareon was putting off. She was starting to become accustomed to being extraordinarily cold, but that didn't make it any less painful.

Calem watched her for a few moments, then dropped his gaze and stared at the icy floor. "I'm sorry for yelling. You scared me… but you're probably scared too, huh? Probably more than I am."

Serena shivered and gave another weak nod. She knew that people could die from the type of exposure she was going through. She dropped her gaze as frightened tears welled in her eyes.

"H-hey now…" Calem realized his mistake and gently wrapped an arm behind her to support her back. Serena looked up in confusion, trying to gage his intentions. "Absol will be back soon with help; nobody in their right mind will ignore a panicked absol, I promise." He smiled his reassurance, and carefully leaned her forward, away from the cave wall. "Uh, Serena?"

Serena could only stare at him and smile back, her heart thudding in her chest. "W-what?"

"You aren't going to get any warmer as long as you're in wet clothing. Are you, uh…" He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Are you wearing anything under your sweater?"

Serena was stunned for a few moments, then she glared and tried to push him away. She wasn't strong enough to actually move him, but he quickly retracted his hands all the same.

"I'm being serious!" Calem argued, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. "You could be in serious trouble right now…"

Serena dropped her glare; he was right, after all. "I-it's n-n-not like I'd… I'd've brought a-a change of clothes."

"No, I know. You can take my jacket. It's waterproof, so it's still dry." He unzipped his blue jacket and rested it on top of Flareon. All he had on underneath was a white t-shirt. "I can't offer much else. My jeans aren't in much better condition than yours, and I, uh, kind of want to keep those on, anyways."

Serena watched the jacket for a few moments, then turned concerned eyes onto Calem. "No. Y-you'll end up… the s-same way…"

"You're the bigger concern here, Serena. If you make it out of this alright, then I'm sure I'll be fine."

Serena stubbornly shook her head. "I c-can't."

Calem furrowed his brow. "If you don't change into it yourself, then I'll have to make you."

Serena wore a surprised expression for a few moments, then smirked. "Y-yeah right…"

Calem hesitated, then rolled his eyes and stood up. "Okay, no I won't, but please just take it. I'm fine. I'll walk over here t-to… to let you change." He walked away, rubbing his arms as he did so.

He was trying to hide it, but it was clear that the effects of the low temperature were starting to take their toll on Calem as well.

"_Flare!" _Flareon tipped toward her so that the jacket was at arm's length and politely looked away. Serena bit her lip, but shakily gripped the bottom of her purple wool sweater and tried to pull. The front of it had been warmed by Flareon's body heat, but it was still soaking wet. The back was frozen to her skin, which made removing it both difficult and painful. Jolteon bounded over to help her, and together they managed to tug it off.

For a few brief moments, she was almost completely exposed. She gasped and hastily grabbed the jacket. Jolteon helped her tug it on, and even before she attempted to maneuver the zipper, the feeling of being covered in something warm and dry was amazing.

Serena reached for the zipper, but even with the addition of the gloves, her fingers were refusing to obey her commands. Her arm trembled around the bottom of the jacket, but her fingers weren't even able to close all the way. She shifted the coat as best she could to cover her chest, and cleared her throat. "Um… Calem?"

"Yeah?" Calem's voice called back. "You done?"

"Y-yeah… 'cept the zipper…"

Calem rounded the corner, and paused to examine Serena. His mouth twitched into a smile. "It… it looks good on you." He rubbed the back of his neck and blushed.

Serena couldn't help but smile back, though she rolled her eyes. "Help?"

"Y…Yeah, sure!" Jolteon padded out of the way as Calem approached and crouched down in front of her. In one fluid motion, he zipped the jacket as far as it would go.

Serena huffed behind the material that now covered her nose. "Show off."

Calem grinned. "For doing up my own jacket?"

"…Y-yes."

He chuckled and sank down next to her, his arms wrapped around his own torso. "Hey, Flareon? You still doing okay, buddy?"

"_Flare!" _Flareon nodded and moved to that he was lying horizontally across both of their laps. Her socks were still lying on top of him. Serena had shifted to sitting cross-legged to protect her bare feet.

Calem grinned and rubbed his pokemon's head. "I owe you one."

Jolteon crawled as close as she could to Flareon and lay her head on top of his neck. Flareon looked over in surprise, but then seemed to settle in, and put his fluffy head on top of Calem's knee.

"You never recalled your Jolteon," Calem noted.

Serena smiled as she watched the two eeveelutions. "They l-look so… so c-cute, though."

Calem blinked and refocused his vision on the two pokemon. He slowly smiled as he watched them. "Yeah, they k-kinda do."

Jolteon's black eyes flicked between the two trainers. She gave a contented sigh, and rubbed her head affectionately against Flareon's neck before closing her eyes.

Calem and Serena simultaneously turned their heads to steal a glance at each other, then quickly turned back once they'd realized that they had the same plan.

Calem chuckled to himself, and Serena laughed softly back. "Th-this is - " Her voice was barely present, and she broke off to try to clear it. "S-such a weird sit… situation." Serena's attempts to save her voice didn't work. She was now speaking in whispered tones, and was barely audible against the snowstorm outside.

Calem grinned, his gaze turned back to the two snuggling pokemon in front of them. He didn't seem to have any issues understanding Serena. "Maybe later we'll b-be able to laugh. H-how… how did you even fall into water?"

Serena tried to think back… how _had _she ended up in this situation? Did Calem say she'd fallen into water?

…Where _was _she, for that matter?

Calem smirked knowingly. "Y-you underestimated the wild pokemon here, d-didn't you?"

"…I-I... I f-f-forget."

"Yeah, sure." He chuckled.

Serena paused, then silently giggled back. "N-n-not f-funny!"

"It'll be funny w-when we're warm."

"Yeah, so i-it's not funny!"

"Then why're you laughing?"

"'C-cause you're laughing."

The two laughed quietly, though Serena's mind was too fuzzy to recall what had been funny in the first place. She hugged herself to Flareon and offered Calem a tiny smile.

"_AAAABBBBB!"_

A thundering roar came from somewhere deep within the cave. The blizzard outside almost seemed to imitate it, as a sudden howl of wind resounded almost as loud as the initial roar. Serena jumped in shock and nearly fell over, but Calem caught her and joined their two pokemon in staring around in bewilderment.

"A-A-Absol?" Serena gasped.

Calem stared at her in bewilderment. "Are you joking? Whatever that was is probably _way _bigger than Absol."

"_AAABBOMMM!"_

The loud cry sounded again, joined with a sudden burst of snow from outside of the cavern. Jolteon was on her feet first, growling and releasing warning sparks from her fur. Flareon gently dislodged himself from the two trainers and joined in. Both paced around the immediate area, ears perked for any sign of immediate danger.

Serena and Calem automatically moved closer to each other as their live heating pad walked off. Serena trembled and pressed her head against Calem's shoulder as they wrapped their arms around one another. He still felt warm to her, and Serena wondered how he was possibly benefitting from the exchange; she imagined herself as something akin to a giant icicle.

Serena looked up at him, intending to ask, but instead finding that she could no longer get words out. Calem, seemingly unaware, simply smiled down at her. He reached across with a shaky hand and tucked some of the frozen hair hanging in her face underneath her brown hat, then replaced his arm around her back.

She told herself that this entire situation was out of necessity, but she would have welcomed it either way. Both of them shivered violently as they fought to maintain body heat.

"F-Fl-Flareon…" Calem said. Fortunately, yelling didn't seem to be necessary, as Flareon bounded obediently over to his trainer. Jolteon didn't follow, and continued to scout around the area. Calem coughed a few times. _"Blizzaroi… t-talent est alerte neige. _S-stay here, please."

The Hoenn region was not bilingual, and Serena could only understand bits and pieces of French so far; Calem knew that. He was probably trying to hide something from her. She didn't need any additional reasons to be frightened, so she didn't argue it.

"Serena?"

Serena didn't respond. She wasn't sure if she even could. Her eyes slowly fell shut.

She felt Calem shift, and then he gently coaxed her feet out of her cross-legged position. He was taking care not to jar her head too much, as it was still lying on his shoulder. Curiosity drove Serena to blearily open her eyes for a few moments. He was pulling her now-dry socks back onto her feet. She closed her eyes and trusted him to continue with her boots.

"S-Serena?"

Serena gave a barely-audible moan in response to her name. Calem was gently shaking her shoulders.

"H-hey, Ser - "

The world went black for a moment. She drifted back into consciousness, but her eyes were too heavy to open.

"…_Arceus nous aident… n-nous aident…"_

Calem was desperately muttering something to himself. Serena cracked open her eyelids; he was now supporting her with both arms and staring out of the cave.

"Serena… I-I…"

Serena's eyes gave in. She was vaguely aware that Calem was still shaking. She, at least, had become oddly still.

"_Je s-suis vraim-ment d-d-__désolé.__"_

Serena recognized the last word: _sorry_. Somehow, she managed to open her mouth to whisper one last line: "don't be: thank you."

Calem jumped and quickly turned to look at her, but she was fading too quickly to concentrate on the rest of what he was saying. She felt oddly warm; her once erratic breathing was shallow, but smooth. She was no longer aware of her previously pounding heartbeat.

The irony was that she couldn't tell if she was improving, or rapidly dying in her rival's arms.

Before she could put more thought into it, her world again dissolved into darkness.

**...**

**French translations (my French is pretty rough, but this is my best attempt):  
**

"_Blizzaroi… talent est alerte neige._" = "Abomasnow... ability is snow warning."

"…_Arceus nous aident… nous aident…_" = "...Arceus help us... help us..."

"_Je suis vraiment __désolé." _= "I am really sorry."

Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 3

"F-Fl-Flareon," Calem stuttered and watched as the fire-type bounded loyally back to him. He snuck a glance at Serena, whose eyes were half-lidded, and knew that he couldn't possibly warn his pokemon without frightening her as well. He coughed a few times, and decided on a tactic. _"Blizzaroi… t-talent est alerte neige. _S-stay here, please."

Flareon's eyes widened and he snuck a glace behind him to where Serena's jolteon was still patrolling the parameters. Calem shook his head, trying to warn his pokemon to be quiet, then gestured him closer. Serena's socks were still resting on the fluffy pokemon's back, and Calem experimentally picked them up. They were dry. He glanced down at the poor girl, clinging onto him as if he was her lifeline.

In actuality, he _was _her lifeline. He was all that she had left, and he was aware of that responsibility.

"Serena?" Calem asked. Far from responding, her eyes fell shut. He didn't have time to argue with her; he gently began coaxing her feet – literally frozen from exposure and hard to the touch – back into socks. From there, he slipped on her boots.

His job done, he looked back over at her. "S-Serena?"

Still nothing. His own heart picked up pace as he finally moved her head off of his shoulder and tried to rouse her by gently shaking her shoulders. "H-hey, Seri, wake up…"

Calem had to catch her to prevent her from falling onto her side. He hastily resumed his position next to her, and allowed her to lean on him. "Fl-Flareon!" he called. Flareon quickly settled himself back on top of them, but Serena gave no indication that she even noticed.

He stared out of the cavern, his heart pounding dutifully away. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. _"Absol… où es-tu?"_

What if he had made the wrong decision by sending Absol out into the snow? Now that he knew there was a distressed abomasnow within the cave, he could fully appreciate the sheer velocity of the artificial blizzard caused by its ability, snow warning.

…No, neither his cold-blooded greninja or his two-foot-tall meowstic would stand a chance in this weather. Flareon had the ability to actively regulate his own internal temperature, but Serena would be even worse off than she already was without his heat, and Calem himself would be useless outside without Flareon.

Calem knew Absol; he should be able to push through.

…But would Absol have been able to get help? Surely he would think of going to Trevor and the others first. Calem's heart caught in his throat: what if _they _were stuck in this blizzard now, too?

How many lives was he responsible for?

Calem dipped his head. _"…Arceus nous aident… n-nous aident…"_

He stared back outside and prayed for somebody, _anybody, _to help them.

"…Serena… I-I…"

Calem hesitated, then glanced down at her. Serena's eyes were still shut. He continued in his native tongue just in case.

"_Je s-suis vraim-ment d-d-__désolé.__"_

He had done everything that he possibly could, but it wasn't enough. He had fought against her so many times, and experienced loss on every occasion. Now he was fighting _for_ her and _still _losing. He found it to be an entirely different emotion.

A whispered voice cut him out of his thoughts. "Don't be: thank you."

Calem quickly turned toward her. "Serena?! Serena, can you hear me?" Her rigid body lay completely still against him. "Serena!"

Fearing the worst, he groped for her wrist and placed two fingers on the underside. He waited for her heartbeat to reassure him that she was okay for the time being, but he felt absolutely nothing. He shifted his fingers. No change.

Calem gritted his teeth and moved the jacket aside to place a hand near her mouth. He waited for warm air, but after several moments he concluded that she wasn't breathing, either.

"Jolteon!" Calem yelled, panic-stricken. He had no knowledge of CPR. The yellow dog-like pokemon bounded over and tipped her head. "U-u-u-use thunder… thundershock or thunderbolt, something like that, _anything, _on Serena! P-please!"

"_Jolteon?" _She stared between Calem and Serena questioningly.

He moved away and gestured to her desperately. "P-p-please, _please, _just d-do it!"

"_Jolt!" _Electricity flowed out of Jolteon in a solid, yellow wave. She aimed it directly at her own trainer, who remained eerily still as she was electrocuted.

"_Encore une fois!_ Er, a-again!"

"_Jolt!" _Jolteon obeyed Calem's directions, and another wave of electricity collided into Serena. There was still no change.

"_AGAIN!"_

"_Jolteon!" _As the third bolt struck Serena, the girl opened her mouth and gasped. Jolteon immediately ceased her attack.

"Serena!" Calem called as he grasped for her wrist again. He waited with baited breath as he pressed two fingers into the underside.

There it was – faint and very slow, but a heartbeat nonetheless. Calem felt the anxiety lift off of him, and he sank against the cavern wall with a sigh of relief. "G-good job, Jolteon…"

Jolteon whined and pushed herself against Serena. Her ears flattened sadly to her head as she tried and failed to elicit a response from her trainer. _"Jolt… Jolt?"_

Flareon curled himself back overtop of Calem and Serena, and tipped his head at Jolteon. _"Flare! Flareon!"_

Jolteon hesitated and looked at him. _"Jolt?"_

"_Flare!"_

Jolteon paused for a moment, then stepped onto Serena's lap and settled herself beside Flareon, so that Flareon was now sandwiched between her and the two trainers. Calem hugged Serena close to him, and the four quietly sat together to preserve heat. Calem shivered and prayed for a saviour.

The winds outside never quieted, though the sun had now set completely. Although they were positioned close to the entrance, very little moonlight was managing to escape through the thick clouds. Calem could no longer see beyond the outline of Jolteon's head. He had yet to spot a wild pokemon and assumed that they had probably gone to sleep for the night, but the darkness was nonetheless very unnerving.

It was likely that their search parties had been called off until morning. It was understandably dangerous to go venturing in a pitch-black blizzard, but he knew that Serena could not wait that long. He wasn't sure if he could make it that long, either.

Flareon had fallen asleep, doubtlessly exhausted from having to produce so much extra heat. Calem could feel Jolteon shivering next to him, though she was still alert. Her ears twitched at the slightest difference in the wind, and he could faintly see her black eyes staring out of the cavern.

Calem was fighting off sleep, and kept himself occupied by listening intently to Serena's heartbeat. It had yet to go out again, but he knew that her condition was very precarious. He held her close, wishing that he could do more to shield her from the unrelenting cold.

Things could have been so, so different. He pulled back a bit to look at Serena's face, but her pale, lifeless complexion frightened him. Calem pressed her head back to his shoulder and gently rubbed one arm up and down her back.

"_Arceus… Je t'en prie…" _Calem grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as tears threatened to escape. _"Please, help us!"_

"_Ab! Absol!"_

Calem's eyes shot open, unable to believe his ears. "A-Absol? Absol!"

"_Absol!" _The fluffy white pokemon bounded into the cavern and shook himself rapidly. Globs of snow flew into them, which abruptly woke Flareon and caused him to glare daggers at the other pokemon, but Calem grinned widely and Absol joyfully bounded over to him.

"I'm s-so glad you're okay…" Calem ran his free hand through Absol's thick fur. It was damp from the blizzard. Calem stared past Absol, toward the cavern's entrance.

For a few moments, he didn't move. Slowly, it dawned on him.

"Absol…" Calem said seriously, trying to restrain his panic. "P-please tell me y-y-you d-didn't come by y-yourself…" He looked desperately to Serena, who was as still as ever in his arms. "P-p-ple… please tell me you b-brought help, S-Serena i-i-isn't going to - "

"_Swi, swi!"_

"Hello? Hello, is anybody in here?!" a male voice called from somewhere near the cavern.

Jolteon, Flareon, and Absol instantly responded with a flurry of barks. Calem sat up and stared eagerly at the entrance. "H-hello? Please, w-we… we need help!"

A purple-haired man bundled in a thick black coat peered into the entrance and squinted around. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the near-complete darkness, but once he was able to see Calem and Serena, he felt his way along the cave wall toward them. A long, furry trunk and two beady eyes peeked in after him, though the pokemon they were attached to was too large to venture in himself.

"Oh no…" The man groaned and shook his head as he knelt next to Serena. "It's the same girl who tried to help my mamoswine… I should have stopped her, this is - "

"We need to get her out of here," Calem said, and tried to pull himself off of the ground. He grunted and only barely managed to stay upright, but bent down to try and help Serena.

"Here, son, let me do it…" the man bent down and slowly heaved Serena to her feet. She was limp in his arms. Calem took a step to help, but his balance was off and he stumbled. Flareon and Absol quickly flanked him on either side to offer support. The man looked over, concerned. "Are you alright?"

Calem nodded. "Y…Y-yeah…" He placed a hand on both of his pokemon, and they helped him take a few steps.

"What's your name, son? My name is Christopher. I live in Dendemille Town," the man explained. Jolteon anxiously whined and hovered near Serena, who was slowly but surely being moved to the entrance.

"I-it's Calem, a-and her name… it's… it's Serena."

"_Swiiii!" _The huge mamoswine let out a low cry that echoed around the chamber, and sunk to the ground as his trainer approached with Serena.

"_AAABOMMM!"_ Another burst of snowy wind flowed outside, and both conscious trainers had dip their heads to shield themselves from the cold onslaught.

"_SWII!" _Mamoswine got to his feet and pawed anxiously at the ground. "_Swi! Swi!"_

"Whoa, boy, whoa!" Christopher yelled, and turned to Calem. "Was… was that an abomasnow?"

Calem weakly nodded and panted. "I-I-I… I th-think so. The b-blizzard is probably s-s-snow w-warning… arg…" Absol and Flareon redoubled their efforts as Calem's legs buckled, and they managed to keep him standing.

Christopher looked back into the cave for a few moments, then shook his head. "I think that's what's been bothering Mamoswine – an abomasnow once saved his life. We don't have time to repay the favour right now, though, okay Mamoswine? We'll get help as soon as possible, I promise!"

"_Swi…" _Mamoswine seemed relieved that he was finally being understood, and sunk to the ground to allow Serena to be loaded onto his back. She still didn't stir, but instead lay limp as she was positioned on top of the large pokemon.

Calem shrugged off his backpack and shakily fished around. His fingers could barely wrap around the two pokeballs he was after, and once he'd managed to pull them out, he dropped them onto the dark, icy floor.

He leaned onto the cave wall and panted. "D-damn it…" Fortunately, Flareon and Absol each rushed up and tapped the front button to recall themselves into their balls. They were definitely both ready for a rest, Calem figured. Before he could bend down to pick them up, Jolteon bounded over and grasped both of them in her mouth. Calem's mouth bent up into a small smile, and he offered her his backpack. Jolteon put her head inside of the bag, and when she lifted her head again, both pokeballs had vanished.

"Th-thank y-you…" Calem managed to gasp out. He wrapped his arms around himself. "Where… w-where d-d-did I put S-Serena's bag?"

"_Jolt!" _Jolteon disappeared into the darkness, and remerged with a pink purse hanging from her mouth.

Christopher walked toward them, and accepted the purse from Jolteon in place of Calem. He briefly looked inside it. "Which one is for the jolteon?"

"Q-quick ball, I-I think."

"Gotcha. Jolteon, return!" A flash of light, and Jolteon vanished. Christopher hastily placed her ball with the others and went to help Calem. "Let's go!"

Calem nodded weakly and allowed himself to be helped onto Mamoswine's back. He was positioned behind Serena, so he reached over and tried to secure her with his arms. Christopher climbed in front of them. "Run, Mamoswine!"

"_Swi, swi!"_ Mamoswine rocketed into the storm, and Calem shut his eyes as the snow and wind assaulted them with a vengeance. The gale forces pierced into the bare skin on his arms and face, and he ducked his head to avoid as much of it as possible. Calem clung to Serena as they were jolted around, though considering the weather, darkness, and his own bulk, Mamoswine was still moving very efficiently. Calem attributed this to Mamoswine's ability, snow cloak. Calem could barely even see the snow immediately in front of his eyes, but hoped that Mamoswine knew what he was doing.

The complete darkness was unnerving in more ways than one; it had still been light out when he'd found Serena collapsed outside of Frost Cavern. They had definitely been waiting for upwards of an hour in that frozen cave, and Serena was already in poor condition before he arrived to help…

Despite the harsh, bitter-cold winds and rocketing snow, Calem found himself fighting to stay awake. Their ordeal had been nothing short of exhausting, and he was certain that the low temperature wasn't helping his cause.

He kept himself conscious by thinking about Serena. He recalled the day they first met – the wide grin that spread across her face and the way her eyes brightened when she picked out that fennekin. Her long, wavy hair had been pulled in every direction from the breeze that flowed off of Aquacorde's river, but she didn't pay it any mind. She was far too enamoured with the prospect of starting her journey.

…What if that journey ended prematurely?

What if it had _already_ ended?

He winced at his own thoughts and quickly dismissed them. Serena could be headstrong, sure, but it was that determination and passion that he loved about her. It was probably what had landed her in this situation, but it would also get her out of it. She was a fighter; he'd learned that firsthand, and he was touched that she was still so eager to battle with him when she beat him with ease every single time.

He didn't mind in the slightest.

"We're almost there!" Christopher turned and yelled in order to be heard over the howling winds. The snow had started to let up as they neared the city, and Calem was relieved to see the lights of the houses.

Calem held his grip on Serena, and leaned in close to her ear. "Just a little longer, Seri…" he whispered, though he knew that she probably couldn't hear him. "Just hang on…"

Mamoswine did not slow once they'd finally entered the town, and Christopher yelled for pedestrians to move aside as they trudged past the windmill and down the series of staircases. "The hospital is small," Christopher said, momentarily glancing back. "But they're used to treating people who have been stuck in the mountains."

Calem nodded as they pulled up next to a building. Calem could have mistaken it for a large house had it not been labeled as an emergency hospital on the outside. Dendemille was not heavily populated, so it didn't come as a surprise, but he worried that they may not have the means to help Serena.

Mamoswine got as close as he could, then sunk to the ground to allow his passengers to disembark. Christopher practically leapt off and quickly slid Serena down to ground level. He turned to help Calem, but the boy shook his head. "D-d-don't waste t-time on me… go!" Christopher gave a swift nod and carried Serena beyond the hospital's doors.

Calem grunted and slowly swung both of his legs to one side. He hesitated before leaping off, as even with Mamoswine crouching down, the height of the pokemon's body meant that there was quite a large distance between him and the ground. He braced himself, and then slid.

His feet hit the ground solidly, but he felt dizzy and began keeling forward –

"Gotcha!" Two pairs of arms grabbed both of Calem's, and he opened his grey eyes to find a pair of anxious green ones mere inches from his face.

"Gah!" Calem jumped back in surprise, but fortunately he was still being stabilized and remained standing. The brown-haired girl in front of him frowned innocently at his response. "Sh-Shauna, h-h-how m-many times…" Calem trailed off, deciding that scolding her at a time like this wasn't important. He glanced to his left and right to find Tierno and Trevor holding him up.

"C'mon!" Shauna called, running ahead to hold the doors open. "We need to get him inside!"

With help from his friends, Calem managed to stumble his way through the front doors, where he was immediately assaulted by a pair of nurses with towels. He looked around the hospital's entrance – a moderately spacious, very white area with a reception desk and green chairs for those waiting – and spotted a small team of doctors surrounding a stretcher. To his horror, one of the white-coated doctors was pushing rhythmically into Serena's chest with both hands.

The nurses tending to him noticed where he was looking, and tried to move in the way of his vision as they coaxed him into a wheelchair. Calem frantically tried to look around them, and was able to see one of the other doctors shake his head and turn to yell something at the receptionist. The team took off with the stretcher at a run through to another room.

A calm, female voice began echoing around the building. "Code blue, en route to the second floor, ICU."

"No…" Calem heard himself mutter as terrible sense of dread washed over him. He weakly looked up to gauge his friends' reactions. Shauna and Tierno were both staring at the doors where Serena had been taken through. Shauna had one hand covering her mouth, and the other over her chest. Tears were spilling from her eyes. Calem winced and looked to Tierno, who had one hand on Shauna's shoulder, and seemed too stunned for emotions.

It took Calem a few moments to spot Trevor, as he had moved away from the group and sat alone on one of the green chairs. He was bent over halfway, and had his face hidden with both hands.

Calem had to tear his gaze away as his wheelchair abruptly started to move. The nurse who wasn't pushing it walked beside him and smiled. "We're going to move you to a room so we can warm you up and make sure you're okay, alright?"

Calem looked at her with terror shining in his eyes. "S-Serena… i-i-is she…?"

The nurse's smile faltered, and she looked to her co-worker. "We'll… we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything about your friend, okay? We usually end up transferring cases like hers to Lumiose, so that they can receive better care than we can provide here."

"We've already sent her pokemon to the local Pokemon Center," the other nurse added. "We'll send yours over, too."

Calem knew that he was unlikely to get any additional information out of them, so he reluctantly nodded and allowed himself to be wheeled out of the hospital's entrance.

…

**French translations:**

"_Absol… où es-tu?"_ = "Absol… where are you?"

"_Encore une fois!_" = "Once more!"

"_Arceus… Je t'en prie…" _= "Arceus… I beg you…" ("Je t'en prie" apparently also happens to be the French way of saying "you're welcome", but it has two meanings, lol)

Anything else French was listed last chapter.

Also, "code blue" in hospital terms is an emergency call for doctors to treat a patient who requires resuscitation, i.e. their heart has stopped/ they are not breathing.

Thank you for your support!


	5. Chapter 4

…

…_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

The first thought that ran through Serena's mind was how annoying that noise was. Her world was engulfed in darkness, and the constant beeping was the only thing that she could hear. She concentrated on it, as her options for stimuli were lacking.

…_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Serena suddenly became aware of the reason she couldn't see – her eyes were closed. Her eyelids were unusually heavy, though. Opening them would take more effort than she could muster.

…_Beep… Beep… Beep...Non…_

Another sound was layering itself over top of the beeping. Neither of the noises were very distinguishable, now. It was too difficult to listen to two things at once.

…_Serena…_

That was her name. Somebody was talking to her. She redoubled her efforts to concentrate.

"_On ne sait pas ce qu'on a jusqu'à ce qu'on l'ait perdu…"_

It was somebody's voice, though she had no idea what they were saying. Gibberish, it sounded like.

"_Je souhaite que vous ouvrez vos yeux…"_

No, not gibberish: French. Why her parents decided to move to a region that preferred a language different to their own, she would never understand. Perhaps if she could recall what words she had picked up since starting her journey, she would be able to piece together what was being said.

"_Serena?"_

…Wait, wasn't that Calem's voice? …It was definitely Calem's voice!

"…_Je…"_

That meant "I". She was off to a good start.

"_Serena, Je t'aime."_

…Did he just say…

Serena forced her eyes to crack open. The light of wherever she was assaulted her senses, so she hesitated for a moment before managing to open them all the way.

Calem's face slowly came into her view, and within a few seconds of holding her gaze, he reddened. _"B-beaucoup!"_

Serena blinked at him in confusion. "…Bless you?" Her voice came out in a whisper, but she surprised even herself by talking out loud.

Calem stared at her, then sighed in relief. "Right, sorry, almost forgot that you can't speak French anyways…"

Serena held his gaze curiously. "What does that word mean? _Beaucoup?_"

"It means he's a coward. Hah!"

Serena heard the door open, and she shifted her head in time to see Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna pile into the room. Calem groaned. "Seriously, Tierno? You guys were listening to that?!"

"We couldn't help it!" Shauna gleefully waltzed to Serena's bedside and excitedly gripped the metal handrails. "That was _so cute! _And I can't believe you're awake, Serena!_" _She emitted a delighted squeal and enveloped the other girl in a hug. "They told us you'd still be asleep!"

Serena gave a weak smile, but her attention was diverted by suddenly realizing her location. She only at this point noticed that she was lying in a white hospital bed. There were a lot of different devices surrounding her, and Serena wasn't sure what most of them were for.

"Come on, Calem," Tierno said with a smirk. "Tell her _comment vous vous sentez vraiment."_

Serena had no idea what that meant, so she continued to examine her surroundings. The beeping machine that she had heard before was still there – there were several wires attached to it that trailed from the machine to underneath her shirt.

"T-Tierno!" Calem groaned. _"Ferme ta gueule!"_

Tierno laughed and help up his hands in mock defense. "Whoa, whoa!"

Calem glared his response.

Serena shifted her gaze down to her chest, and noted that she was in a hospital gown. It was white with a floral pattern: definitely not her style. She didn't like it.

"Tierno, _laisse le tranquille!" _Shauna said in a scolding manner with her arms crossed.

"Um, guys, it's not polite to speak in French when Serena's here… especially since she's just woken up," Trevor said nervously.

Serena reached over with her right hand, intending to feel where the wires connected her to the beeping machine under the hospital gown.

Calem sighed and shook his head. "You're right, Trevor. I'm sorry, Ser - "

As soon as Serena's hand entered her vision, she gave an alarmed yelp that interrupted Calem and regained the attention of everyone in the room. Her right hand was heavily bandaged up to her wrist. Serena tried to bring her left hand into her vision for comparison, but found it was much heavier than her right. She turned her head to look at it, and quickly noted that not only was it also bandaged, but there was a tube sticking out of her left forearm. It was attached to a bag suspended near her bedside. Her breathing picked up pace in alarm, and it was then that she noticed something in her nose was emitting warm air. She hastily swatted it with her right hand and realised it was tubing that was secured around her ears. She dislodged it, then scrambled to sit up –

Calem blocked her attempt by gently reaching over and putting pressure on her shoulders. To Serena's dismay, it was enough to keep her lying down. The beeping machine was making noises at a much faster pace, then it evened out into one long, continuous tone. "Calm down, calm down, you're okay…" he reassured in a soft voice. "You only just woke up; take it easy."

"Should I go get the doctor?" Shauna asked, watching the loud machine. Calem glanced over and nodded.

"W-what happened to me?" Serena asked, staring at her bandaged hands. "What's wrong with my hands?"

"You… don't remember?" Calem asked in a quiet tone.

"I'll go get her mom," Tierno said, then hurried out after Shauna.

"My mom's here?"

Calem and Trevor shared a look. "They weren't sure if you'd make it through the first night," Calem said. He averted his gaze to the ground. "So of course your mother is here."

Serena surveyed the two boys seriously. "I want to know what happened."

"I-it's my fault!" Trevor exclaimed. "I… I shouldn't have let you go to Frost Cavern by yourself! You seemed so sure of yourself… I thought… I-I thought…"

"Nobody blames you, Trevor," Calem reassured the smaller boy. Trevor turned his gaze to the ground, looking unconvinced.

"Frost Cavern…" Serena muttered, mostly to herself. That name rung a bell. It was a cave not far off from Dendemille Town…

Slowly, Serena's eyes widened. Her memories came to her as if they were from a dream. She remembered plunging into that icy water. How had that happened? Wartortle was there… they were attacked by some sort of wild pokemon… A floatzel! Next thing she knew, she was at the front entrance of the cave. She couldn't remember going back through the cave – as far as she knew, she had simply appeared there.

She recalled collapsing in the snow. Jolteon was with her. And then…

"_Serena! Oh Arceus… _Serena!"

Serena stared at Calem with a new sense of realization. He had taken her back in the cave, tried to warm her, tried to send help… he apparently succeeded. Her mouth fell slightly ajar as she stumbled over what to say. "You saved me… Oh my Arceus, Calem, you saved my life…"

Calem's mouth finally twitched into a smile. "Just barely."

Serena smiled back, then held up her bandaged hand. "You said I wouldn't lose my fingers." She mocked an accusatory tone and pretended to pout.

Calem laughed softly. "They're still intact."

The sound of a door opening distracted them for a moment. Two people walked in, one dressed in a white coat. Serena smiled widely as she instantly recognized the other. "Mom!"

"Oh, Serena!" She ran to her daughter's side and engulfed her in a hug. "Oh, you don't know how relieved I am to see you awake!" She was crying, which made Serena feel horribly guilty.

"I-I'm fine, Mom, don't cry…" They held each other for a few moments before Serena broke away. "How did you get to Dendemille in one night?" she asked, genuinely mystified. "Did you ride Rhyhorn all the way here?"

"Oh, honey…" Her mother smiled sadly through her tears. "We're in Lumiose City, and it's been four days since your… incident. Rhyhorn and I came as fast as we could."

The look of utter confusion on Serena's face was enough to prompt Calem to elaborate. "They transferred you by helicopter from Dendemille to Lumiose, because the hospitals here are much larger and were better equipped to help you. If you draw a straight line between Dendemille and Lumiose, they really aren't as far apart as they seem."

Serena nodded, trying to take in this new information. The doctor pressed a button on the machine that was making noise, and it settled back into its previous rhythmic pattern. The doctor cleared his throat. "Ignore that: we have it set to alert us of any abrupt change in your heart rate. If I may?" Serena's mother nodded and moved aside.

"What's wrong with my hands?" Serena immediately asked. "Are my fingers going to fall off?"

The doctor chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think so, but now would be an ideal time to check if you still have feeling in them." He held out one gloved hand palm-up, and Serena hesitantly placed her right hand in his.

The doctor gently put pressure on her index finger under the bandages. The area proved to be very tender, so Serena winced and automatically pulled her hand away. "That hurts."

"That's a good sign." The doctor gestured for her to put her hand back, so Serena reluctantly allowed him to continue.

She ended up passing most of the test, but was lacking any sensation in the very tips of her fingers. "You might regain it with time, and you might not," the doctor explained. Serena did not feel reassured.

The test was repeated with her also-bandaged feet, with similar results. He also felt around her face and ears. Her cheeks, nose, and forehead in particular seared with pain with touched. The sensation was similar to a bad sunburn.

Regardless, she knew that she was lucky.

Serena watched as the doctor examined the machines surrounding her, and made notes on a clipboard. He noticed that Serena had dislodged the tubing from her nose, and smiled in amusement as he took it away. "You shouldn't need this now that you're awake. It was left as a precaution after your oxygen levels dropped suddenly during the second night without explanation."

"O-oh yeah?" Serena asked nervously. "You're sure I don't need that? I can tolerate it…"

The doctor chuckled and shook his head. "You are one lucky girl, Serena. They had a lot of trouble restarting your heart over in Dendemille." Serena's eyes widened. "Typically, the human brain can't go more than a minute without oxygen before suffering damage, but because of your hypothermia, your brain's metabolism was significantly lowered. Until now, we had no idea of your prognosis, but just by looking at you…" He started scribbling on his clipboard and smiled. "You're alert, vital signs are all normal, you can talk clearly… I think it's still early to try walking unassisted, given the frostbite and inevitable fatigue, but there's nothing to suggest that you'll have any difficulties in the future. It's amazing, really."

"That's excellent news! Oh, I'm so relieved!" Serena's mother exclaimed before wrapping her in another hug. Calem and Trevor beamed excitedly at each other, and then at Serena.

"You're gonna be okay!" Shauna squealed and rushed in to join the others around her bed. Tierno followed shortly behind her, grinning. Serena smiled back at all of their faces, grateful for their friendship and support.

"Serena?" the doctor said. Serena looked over. "I need you to understand that if it weren't for the actions of the young man standing beside you," he gestured to Calem, who looked surprised by the attention. "…there is no way that you would be here with us right now. You are very fortunate to have such a brave and intelligent friend." He nodded at Calem, then turned away. "Call if you need anything."

The doctor walked out of the room, but Serena was focused on Calem. She hesitated, then turned to her mother. "Mom, would you mind if I talked to Calem alone for a few minutes?"

Her mother nodded. "I understand. I'll be waiting outside." Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor exchanged grins, and then followed her out. Calem took a step closer and gave her a quizzical look.

As soon as the door closed, Serena sat up and threw her arms around Calem. Surprised, Calem took a moment to rebalance himself, then leaned in closer and wrapped his arms around her as she pressed her head against his. They stayed like that quietly for a few moments. Calem didn't need an explanation for Serena's behaviour.

"I was so scared…" Calem finally said in a near-whisper. "I-I… I thought for sure that you weren't going to make it… I would have blamed myself for the rest of my life…"

"I'm so sorry… I'm so, so sorry…It would have been my own fault – you know that." Serena released him, and the two looked at each other. "But what about you? Are you okay? What happened?"

Calem shook his head to dismiss her concerns. "I'm fine. No lasting damages." He held up his hands. They were a bit red, and pieces of white bandage had been applied to a few fingers. "This is it. Just this, and a little on my face." Serena tore her eyes away from his hands to re-examine Calem's face. His cheeks and nose were slightly red and the skin was starting to peel. Serena knew that she probably looked far worse. "They kept me in the Dendemille hospital for two nights, though I felt completely fine after the first. Your condition probably scared them into taking extra precautions with me. After I was discharged, I met up with Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor. We decided to head to Lumiose City to visit you – we just got here. The three of them actually went back to Frost Cavern while I was in the hospital and managed to calm the abomasnow."

Serena's eyes widened. "They went back to Frost Cavern? …There was an abomasnow?!"

"You know what abomasnow's ability is, right?"

Serena paused for a second. "Yeah, because it's pretty unique… ugh, what's it called… snow warning?" A look of realization slowly appeared on her face. _"Ohhh."_

Calem nodded. "Team Flare was deliberately irritating it in order to set off its ability and generate power for who-knows-what."

"But… Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor stopped them?" She quirked a brow skeptically.

Calem laughed. "I know they don't focus on battling as much as we do, but they can hold their own. There were only three Team Flare members, so they were equally matched. That, and they dressed properly for the temperatures, stuck together as a group, and stayed well away from the water."

Serena understood that she was being passively scolded, and shamefully looked away. "Well, as long as they're okay…" she mumbled, then suddenly shot her head back up, her eyes wide. "Are my pokemon okay?!"

Calem nodded. "They aren't allowed in the hospital, otherwise I would have brought them for you. Jolteon will be really happy to see you – she saved your life in the cavern, you know. The first time your heart stopped, she used thunderbolt on you, and it started beating again."

"Wow…" Serena gaped at him. "But… Jolteon wouldn't have known to do that unless you commanded her to do it. _You _saved me."

Calem modestly shook his head. "We both would have been goners if it weren't for Absol going to get Christopher."

"Christopher?"

"The man who owns the mamoswine. He rescued us from the cave and brought us to the hospital."

Serena sighed. "I owe a lot of people – and pokemon – my life, don't I?"

"You're here now, and that's all that matters."

Serena was quiet for a few moments. She had an idea, but it was a bold one. "No, I need to repay you." She stared into Calem's eyes. Her heart started to pound nervously, but she refused to break eye contact. "I owe you something, anyways."

Calem met her gaze curiously. "What do you mean?"

Serena hesitated, but decided to stop overthinking and just go for it. She'd already heard him say it himself, after all. "Um_, Je t'aime, Calem. Je t'aime."_

Calem's eyes widened, but then he frowned and broke eye contact. "Y-you don't know what that means, Serena… you're just repeating what - "

Serena was quick to disprove him by leaning closer and pressing her lips against his. She felt Calem tense, but then he kissed back, much to Serena's delight (and relief). She had to support herself with one arm on the bed, but she brought her free one up to rest on his shoulder. She felt one of his arms wrap around her back, securing their connection as pleasant warmth fell over them – all the more appropriate given what they had been through together. Neither of them paid any mind to the strange beep that filled the room. Serena wanted to stay in this new paradise forever…

…Until they heard the door open and practically flew apart from each other. Fortunately, they managed to separate completely before a nurse walked in and strided over to them. Serena and Calem blushed deeply and shared a quick look as the nurse examined one of the machines by Serena's bedside. The nurse turned and gave them an odd look. "Sorry for bursting in like that. Your heart monitor's alarm was going off – I heard it as I was passing by."

The machine was indeed giving off a continuous long beep. "O-oh yeah?" Serena asked. She glanced at Calem again. He was laughing, but trying to hide it.

The nurse pushed a button, and the sound stopped. It was replaced by the short beeps she had heard before, albeit at a notably faster face. "Hmm… your heart rate skyrocketed, for some reason. Not high enough to be of any concern, mind you, but I'll make a note of it. Can't imagine what would have caused that. It looks like it's settling back to normal now, at least."

"Uh… thanks," Serena said. Calem had to turn away because he was laughing so hard. The nurse eyed them in confusion, then took her leave and closed the door behind her.

"I take it you were enjoying that?" Calem teased and turned back around, still chuckling.

Serena glowered at him. "Well, I _was."_

"It's okay… uh, you know, if I had to wear something that tracked my heart rate, it would have done the same thing."

"Yeah?" Serena smiled.

Calem nodded and smiled back at her. "Maybe… maybe we can do that again once they let you out of here?"

Serena nodded, her eyes shining with happiness. "I'd like that."

Calem beamed. "It's a date?"

"It's a date. Actually, on that note… we never got to battle like you promised over the Holocast."

"Yeah, sorry, I never made it to Anistar City; I got held up saving your life."

"Well, fair enough, but I'm just reminding you." Serena smirked. "Because you're going to lose."

"Alright!" Calem grinned his determination. "It's a date!"

…

**French translations (again, I don't speak French (at least, not very well), so these are rough):**

"…_Non…" = "…No…"_

"_On ne sait pas ce qu'on a jusqu'à ce qu'on l'ait perdu…" _= "We do not know what we have until it is lost…"

"_Je souhaite que vous ouvrez vos yeux…" _ = "I wish you would open your eyes…"

"…_Je…" _= "…I…"

These next two will require a bit of explanation…

"_Serena, Je t'aime." _= "Serena, I love you."

"_B-beaucoup!" _= "A-a lot!"

So, put together it would be _"Serena, Je t'aime beaucoup." _In English, the direct translation would technically be "Serena, I love you a lot." However, in French "Je t'aime beaucoup" is actually weaker than "Je t'aime" by itself. The reason, from what I've researched, is that if you love someone "a lot", that means there is a limit on how much you love them, as opposed to just "I love you", which is more like limitless/ endless love, if that makes sense. "Je t'aime beaucoup" therefore actually means something akin to "I like you" or "I love you as a friend", while "Je t'aime" is love in the romantic sense.

Isn't French a beautiful language? :3

So in this fic it would be translated as something like:

"_Serena, Je t'aime." _= "Serena, I love you."

"_B-beaucoup!" _= "A-as a friend!"

I was going to have Serena prompt Calem to answer her question on what "beaucoup" meant again at the end, only to have him answer literally with "a lot" and leave her thinking he said that he loved her a lot, but I couldn't find a way to transition it smoothly and I didn't think anybody would understand the humour in it unless they read this explanation, anyways.

Alright, here are the others!

"Tell her _comment vous vous sentez vraiment." _= "Tell her how you really feel."

"_Ferme ta gueule!" _= "Shut up!"

"Tierno, _laisse le tranquille!" _= "Tierno, leave him alone!"

"Um_, Je t'aime, Calem. Je t'aime." _= "Um, I love you, Calem. I love you."

Stay tuned for the epilogue, although it's exam period for me so there might be a delay. I have three of 'em in the next five days, and then two more after that. D: And none of them are electives…

**THANK YOU** to everybody who has taken the time to review! It means a lot to me!


	6. Chapter 5

"_O-o-ouvrez vos y-yeux…" Calem could barely speak. He cradled Serena in his arms, but she was as still as the icy rock formations that inhabited the frozen cave. _

_She wasn't breathing. She had stopped breathing a long time ago. _

_He had tried to get Jolteon to revive her, but thunderbolt was no longer affecting her. Now Jolteon was asleep, too. Calem didn't know where her pokeball was. He didn't have the strength to look for it. It could be too late for her, anyways. Flareon wasn't doing much better, and had stopped outputting heat._

_Calem didn't feel cold, though. He didn't feel anything. His voice was a whisper. "J-J-Je t'en pr-pr…"_

"ABOMMMM!"

_Calem forced himself to look up. Through the darkness, he spotted the outline of a massive abomasnow turning the corner – it was twice the height of a normal one. It could barely fit under Frost Cavern's ceiling. Calem held his breath and tried to stay as still as possible, but it was too late - it had already spotted them. _

_At first, Calem thought his vision was dimming even further, but to his horror he realized that the abomasnow was actually beginning to prepare an attack. Calem recognized this particular move by the sudden darkness. Sheer cold: one of the most powerful moves in existence._

_They wouldn't be able to survive it._

"_Fl-Flareon!" Calem tried to yell, but his voice was weak and cracking. "Utiliser - "_

_It was no good: Flareon was unmoving, unhearing. He desperately clutched the three frozen bodies close to him. He spared the abomasnow only a brief glance before he gave up and began sobbing overtop of them, struggling to give them shelter. Even if he wanted to flee, he knew that his body would be incapable of doing so. He would at least die knowing that he did so trying to protect them. Ice crystals were rapidly materializing on every inch of his body, and he knew that momentarily they would reach his heart–_

"Calem! Calem, wake up!"

Calem's eyes shot open, and he found himself gasping for air. He lay still for a few moments, trying to register what had just happened. Trevor was standing in front of him, his eyes wide and concerned.

"I-I heard you crying… again."

Calem sat up and wiped at his eyes. "…Third time. That's the third time I've had that stupid dream…"

"Are you okay?" Trevor asked, nervously tugging at his sweater. "I think maybe - "

"I'm fine," Calem quickly said, then shook his head. "Serena's being discharged today, right? Everything will go back to the way it was."

It had been nearly two weeks since the incident in Frost Cavern, and Serena was well on her way to recovery. The doctors had told them that frostbite injuries could take months to fully heal, but otherwise there was no reason to keep her in the hospital any longer. Calem had removed the bandaging on his own hands, as they were close to being back to normal.

During the past week, Trevor had graciously offered the four of them his place to stay. The three boys all slept in Trevor's room, while Shauna opted to share with Trevor's older sister, whom she was also friends with. Calem looked around for Tierno, and took his absence as meaning he was helping with breakfast. "What time is it?"

"Um, it's almost ten, I think – no, no, Calem, it's fine!" Trevor hastily added as Calem gave an alarmed look and began scrambling to his feet. "Shauna went and picked up Serena's pokemon from the pokemon center for you, so you don't have to do anything besides eat, okay?"

Calem settled down and sighed. "Sorry for sleeping in… I know I promised I'd pick them up."

He'd received Serena's permission to pick up her pokemon on her behalf after they'd finished visiting her on the first day they'd arrived in Lumiose. Calem had already used it once to sneak Jolteon in for a secret reunion – neither Jolteon nor Serena could wait, and the others were happy to distract the hospital staff while the bed-ridden trainer smiled and tearfully repeated how proud she was of the pokemon. Jolteon understood that her trainer was injured, so she trembled and whined from the effort of restraining herself from leaping on Serena out of pure joy.

"No, that's fine," Trevor said, and stared at the ground. "We've been worried about you. You know, because you haven't been sleeping."

Calem dismissed his friend's concerns with a shake of his head. "I'm fine. It's just…" Trevor was looking at him with an anxious frown. Calem sighed and stood up. "N-nevermind. Let's eat so we can go meet up with Serena."

…

Soon enough, Serena stood at the entrance to the hospital, waiting excitedly for her mother to fill out the last bit of paperwork. Calem, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna smiled just from watching her. Serena's hands were still bandaged, though not nearly as heavily. She had recovered remarkably well considering her ordeal, and at this point confining her was probably doing more harm than good.

Serena's mother smiled warmly and walked over to the group of friends. "Everything's all set. Now, you're sure that you want to travel again so quickly, Serena? I'll be heading back home now, and Rhyhorn will be more than happy to give you a lift."

Serena shook her head. "Thanks mom, but I just want everything to go back to normal."

Her mother nodded, and surveyed her daughter sadly. "I know. Before you go, I have something to give you."

"A present?" Serena perked up curiously. "What is it?"

Serena's mother smiled and presented her with a shopping bag. To Calem's surprise, she turned and offered him one as well. "For saving my daughter's life…" she explained, putting her hand over his. "I will never be able to thank you enough."

Serena and Calem opened their gifts to reveal a beige trenchcoat and a black down jacket, respectively. Calem stared at the doubtlessly expensive item in awe. "You didn't have to buy me anything, ma'am, but thank you very much!"

"Oh, you're such a polite young man, Calem, and a hero to boot…" Serena's mother smiled mischievously and nudged her daughter. "You'll be hard pressed to find a better boy than that."

"Mom!" Serena groaned, but Calem laughed knowingly. They had been careful to keep their budding relationship a secret for the time being, but mothers somehow had a way of understanding these kinds of things. Serena sighed. "Well, thank you for the coat. Arceus knows I needed one."

"Yes, now don't you go running off into any dangerous areas again, do you understand me?" Serena's mom gave her a hard look.

Serena winced. "Trust me, I won't. We're going to be sticking together as a group for a little while, anyways."

"We'll take care of her, ma'am!" Shauna exclaimed and gave Serena a brief hug. "We promise!"

Serena's mother smiled and embraced her daughter briefly before gently pushing her toward the exit. "Go on now! Time to make some good memories!"

"I will!" Serena laughed and rushed outside, her four friends close on her heels.

Serena stretched her arms skyward, the warm morning sun a welcome change from her hospital room. Her four friends cheered on her exit from the building as if it were on par with being crowned the newest pokemon champion. "Alright!" Serena exclaimed, pointing ahead. "Back to Dendemille Town!"

"You're sure you want to go back to Dendemille, Serena?" Calem asked, though they had already been over this and he doubted he would change her mind.

"We could go back through Santalune City," Trevor said, unfolding his town map. "We can get to Anistar that way, too."

Serena shook her head. "Nah, I want to go back to Dendemille. I have a lot of people that I need to thank, and besides, it's faster to go that way." She hesitated for a moment, then added, "I'm not going to Frost Cavern ever again, though."

"Not really a surprise," Tierno said.

"We can take the shortcut through Route 16," Calem explained, pointing it out on Trevor's map to an amazed Serena.

"There's a shortcut from Lumiose to Dendemille?!" Serena exclaimed, looking dismayed.

"Yeah. I thought everybody knew that!" Tierno chuckled.

"If I'd known that I wouldn't have…" Serena groaned and shook her head. "Never mind. We'd better get started if we want to get there before dark." She started walking, and Calem fell back to walk beside her. They shared an understanding smile, but both turned their gazes pointedly ahead to avoid drawing comments from their friends.

"Hey! Hey, wait!" Shauna exclaimed as she jumped in front of the four of her friends and waved her arms frantically. "I think we should spend some more time in Lumiose City before we leave! There's still loads of shopping that I need to get done!"

The other four exchanged confused looks. "I'd rather leave now," Serena said. "I… I just don't feel comfortable walking after dark yet."

Calem quickly nodded in agreement with her. The dreams with the abomasnow were still fresh in his memory. He needed to move on. "Shauna, you've literally had an entire week to explore the city."

Shauna pouted at them. "Yeah, I know! It's just… I know there's this one store that sells TMs that you can't get anywhere else, and I really wanted to check it out before we left…"

"Wait, really?" Tierno asked, his interest suddenly piqued. "Rare moves? I'd like to see that shop, too!"

Shauna nodded and gave a dramatic sigh. "There's also this café where people come to show off their rare pokemon. I visited a lot of cafés in the city while we were here, but there's just soooo many of them! I didn't have time!"

"I've lived here most of my life, and I don't know what café that would be…" Trevor said, though he looked curious.

Shauna hesitated. "Oh, um, that's because… i-it's brand new! It _just _opened! I can't believe you haven't heard about it Trevor; it sounds like someplace you would totally be interested in!"

Trevor pondered over her words. "That _does_ sound intriguing…"

"Hey, then it's settled!" Shauna squealed excitedly and wrapped her arms around the two boys. "You two can come with me to explore Lumiose, and Calem and Serena can go ahead without us!"

"Huh?" Tierno questioned, glancing uncertainly between them. "Shouldn't we stick together, though?"

"No way!" Shauna tittered and waved an arm toward Calem and Serena. "We can meet them at Anistar, like we'd originally planned!" She turned to look at them, a wide grin spread across her face. "What do you two think?"

Calem and Serena shared a surprised look, and blushed. "I-I… I guess that's okay," Serena said, watching Calem for his reaction.

"If it's what you want," Calem said, trying to sound equally passive.

_"YAY!" _Shauna grabbed the hands of Tierno and Trevor, and began dragging them away. "No time to waste! There's shopping to be done!"

As Calem and Serena watched, Shauna released the boys once they'd started walking on their own, and spun around to face them. She grinned slyly, and mouthed a very clear _'you're welcome!' _before waving and running off into the ever-crowded streets.

Serena stared after them. "Did… did she just…?"

Calem smiled. "I know Shauna acts ditzy, but she's actually really socially attune." …That, and she'd already heard him confess his love for Serena during their first visit to the hospital. Serena had been kept mostly in the dark by the language barrier, and Calem decided it was probably best to keep it that way.

"Oh…" Serena turned large, grey eyes onto Calem. "And… I mean… you don't mind, right?" She blushed and looked at her boots. "It _is_ really sudden."

Calem raised an eyebrow. "Well, what do you think?"

Serena looked back up in surprise. "Sorry, that probably came across as…" she sighed in frustration. "I don't mind at all! I just wanted to make sure that - "

Calem didn't need to hear the rest of the sentence, so he cut her off with a kiss. Serena barely had time to register it before he pulled away; it seemed more of a bribe than anything. "I think Shauna's right: we need some time alone to sort everything out." He grinned at her bemused expression. "What, you didn't seriously think I'd be opposed to us spending time together, did you?"

Serena slowly broke into a smile. "Well, I'd hope not. You spent a good deal of effort making sure I didn't freeze to death, after all."

Calem chuckled. "True, although I'd like to think I'd do that for anybody…" He hesitated as Serena's expression drooped into a pout. "Er, a-although - "

"I'm kidding!" Serena's smile returned, and she giggled. "I know you would, but my point was not everybody is willing to put themselves in harm's way like that." She slipped her hand into his, though Calem knew her hands were still sore and was careful not to put too much pressure on it. "Now let's get going already! I've done enough waiting around!"

She took off at a run. "H-hey!" Calem argued briefly before falling in line with her strides.

Serena laughed at the sky. "Route 16, here we come!"

…

**Sorry for the long wait! Exams and then Christmas… this was intended to be the epilogue, and still technically is, but it's broken into two parts because I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. I'm more than 3000 words into the other half. Also, this chapter wasn't in my plan for the fic. I originally just wrote a summarization of it in about 300 words, and for whatever reason I decided to expand it, and since it's a fanfiction it's kinda like I might as well post it, you know? Since they weren't in my original plans for the fic, you can actually skip both this chapter and chapter 3 and be able to read the rest of it perfectly fine, lol. Yay for fluff!**

**French translations:**

"_Ouvrez vos yeux…" = _"Open your eyes…"

"_Je t'en prie…" = _"I beg you…" - a really desperate way of saying "please…"

"_Utiliser - " = _"Use - "

Thank you for reading!


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